Start building affordable housing. Add units for rent and sale using a combination of building techniques such as modular and panelized factory built structures. Create a community land trust to hold the land for these units. Preserve existing affordable units by extending their affordable status for at least 20 years. Keep existing mobile home parks. Develop policies to prevent established neighborhoods of small homes from being torn down for gentrification.

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What city services, programs or projects need to be expanded or added? Expand programs for children and youth. Partner with schools and local business organizations to start programs for middle and high schools including internships to introduce youth to a broad range of jobs and professions. Expand our current programs for workforce development. Expand adult literacy programs. Invest more in child care support so that people with young children can work. Increase the city's reserve funds to the maximum possible. Increase the number of police and fire personnel needed to keep pace with our growing population, including additional staff to remove graffiti. Set aside money as a matching fund to create quiet zones to mitigate train noise. We could take some of the unexpended funds from other capital programs for this purpose.

What city services, programs or projects need to be reduced or eliminated? City Council members need input on the budget before it is released in August to cut out any pockets of inefficiency and unnecessary expenses. It is difficult to do this once the budget is published. One year when I was on council, a couple of council members were able to review the budget when it was first released and then suggest cuts to department heads. This review and the staff interaction was a productive process, saving time in the budget review process. It also saved money in the budget. One example of unnecessary expenses include the fees paid for Longmont's contract with the Archdiocese of Denver that allows city staff to park across from city hall. Instead of the city paying for parking, staff could use the dozens of free and empty parking spaces in city-owned lots within easy walking distance.

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story